0300 Roula Said discussed Maqam as a prelude to reading and singing from the lyrical narrative poems of Kaan and Her Sisters. #roulasaid #lmarkingthenakba
Mark your calendars to
mark the Nakba.
May 15 all day.
For a full 24 hours,
you are invited to hear the words of Palestinian poets - classic and contemporary.
Words read in English translation, with some in the original Arabic and some in other tongues.
Words that travel and survive. Live.
Honouring sumud/steadfastness.
Carrying love, joy, creativity, resistance, beauty.
Open yourself to receive.
Come and go as you please.
Link in bio.
For the leaders, the caregivers, and the tired-but-hopeful. We are living through intersecting crises. It is easy to feel disconnected—from our bodies, each other, and the earth.
“Embodied Practices for Collective Thriving” is a space to soften the mind and listen to what you know in your bones. Whether you are an activist, an educator, or a community member, these relational practices are designed to support your long-term wellbeing.
No movement or artistic experience required. Just a curiosity about how we can thrive, together. Final Call for June: Join the Wild Soma Collective. Link in bio!
Song Experiment is BACK
for real!
Sorry, about the false notice last week!
This month we are on the third Saturday:
Saturday, March 21st, 5-7pm
At the Tranzac
292 Brunswick Ave.
Good NEWS: Yoshi Maclear Wall @yosher.yosherson is able to join us on the new date, and we have extra time to prepare something extra special for you.
Featuring @roulasaid7 :
Roula Said is a Palestinian-Canadian artist based in Toronto. As a musician and poet, Roula sings and plays qanun, piano and percussion to accompany original songs created from Palestinian poetry and her own sufi-inspired poems.
Set one will feature Roula led creations with contributions from Wally Brooker @saxawoogie , Yoshi Maclear-Wall and Cassie, supporting Roula's songs, and poem/songs with violin, tenor saxophone and vocals.
Set two will feature Cassie led creations with contributions from Wally Brooker, Yoshi Maclear-Wall and Roula. Roula's taking me to some interesting places with poem - songs. I'm excited to share some new material with you next Saturday!
Song Experiment is a monthly song lab hosted by Cassie Norton welcoming unconventional approaches to Song Writing and Song Sharing.
Each month, a different artist and approach is featured welcoming surprise and collaboration.
Drawing/colouring supplies and big banner paper will be provided for all doodlers, so you can collaborate too!
Poster with Spirit Bird by Roula Said and background and poster design by Cassie.
Hope to see you next Saturday!
In a world of constant digital noise and global uncertainty, how do we honor what our bodies are actually feeling? Most of us are “living in our heads” to survive the stress of our times. But your bones carry a different kind of wisdom. This June 28 – July 3, join the Wild Soma Collective (Roula, Julia, Shannon, and Andrea) for a journey into Embodied Practices for Collective Thriving.
This isn’t just a movement workshop; it’s a space to soften the mind and resonate in connection. No experience is required—just a curiosity about how your own aliveness can be a world-making gesture.
🔗 Register now for Embodied Practices for Collective Thriving June 27-July 3. Link in bio!
As we Palestinians have been known to say ...
اليوم الأربعين
"Today is the forty."
Forty days since my mother's death.
In our culture, as in many, this is experienced as a liminal period —
when the soul hasn’t fully departed and the living haven’t fully let go.
I have definitely been between worlds - writing to my mom daily, attuning to her, receiving her presence in my dreams. I feel tenderized by the grief and the grace of it all. And I am not sure how to fully re-engage with the world.
Yalla, one step at a time.
Sharing this lovingly unorthodox "send off" to my beautiful mother. This song absolutely lit her up and filled her body with joy. I just had to learn it for her funeral. Thanks to Ernie Tollar and Jaash S for learning it too. opening poem says -
Blessed are you, O sky—
the angels are singing.
Your joys and lights have multiplied,
with my mother’s arrival.
O wellspring of love and tenderness,
how can it be that you are gone?
My you even in absence, my love
always remain with me song says -
Pour some coffee and fill it with cardamom
Serve it to the noble ones on horseback.
Full lyrics here in case you want'em
/en/samira-tawfiq-lyrics.html
Thanks to all of you all who attended the various gatherings to honour dear Georgette T Said. Gratitude with extra cardamom to all who generously helped.
🤍🙏🤍
@roulasaid7 and I performed at a wonderful @avi.lewis event last night at Lee’s Palace. He is giving me hope for the future. Thanks to @davidwall83 and @kim_butterfly360 for asking us to be a part of it! Please consider becoming a member of the NDP before Jan.28, 2026 so that you can vote for the next leader of the federal NDP - I’ll be voting for Avi Lewis and I hope you will consider doing the same.
Here is the link to become a member (and it’s in my bio):
https://act.ndp.ca/donate/membership-en
Toronto! Our ‘All Out for Avi!’ tour finale just got even bigger!
On Jan 24 at Lee’s Palace we’ll be joined by an amazing line-up of musicians, including Polaris Prize-winner Lido Pimienta; Housewife; Ken Whiteley; Western Slang; Lydia Persaud and The Liberation Choir; and Maryem Hassan Tollar and Roula Said.
We’ll also hear from two powerhouse speakers, former NDP MPP Jill Andrew and veteran social justice activist Judy Rebick — with Nigel Barriffe taking us through the night as emcee.
Music, movement, and community, all in one room! Link in bio.
#cdnpoli #TOpoli #NDP
OK my friends - here’s the radio play you didn’t realize you were waiting for by #FAOC - FAOC Saves Christmas - Santa Gets FAOC-ked - featuring Maryem Hassan Tollar, Roula Said, and HRH Anand Rajaram.
Recorded and Mixed by Ernie Tollar
Mastered by Jono Grant - Victory Drive Music Inc.
You can listen to it for free - and if you want to support FAOC so we can keep on creating, you can pay to download it and listen to it over and over again ;)
DISCLAIMER:
FAOC Saves Christmas – Santa Gets FAOC’ked is an adult comedy radio play that mixes holiday mythology, surreal adventure, and sharp satire. Beneath the vulgar jokes and chaotic characters is a pointed take on how belief, tradition, and nostalgia can be hollowed out and sold back to us.
This is not a wholesome holiday special.�It is a loud, stupid, funny Christmas story for adults who still want magic—just without the branding.
Content warning: explicit language, religious satire, and themes not suitable for children.�Format: audio drama / radio play�Recommended listening: headphones, low expectations, open mind
No Santa’s were harmed in the creation of this radio play. Link in Bio. @maryemhassantollar@roulasaid7@hrh_anand_rajaram@faoc2020@ernietollar@jonojgrant
/track/faoc-saves-christmas-santa-gets-faocked
On Christmas night, my beautiful angel of a mother slipped peacefully across the veil as she slept. To know my mom was to be bathed in an energy of pure love, kindness, generosity, and profound cuteness.
Today, we sent her on her way with a humble and heartful ceremony in the company of immediate family and close friends.
I know there are people from different chapters of her life who will see this and wonder how to pay their respects. I will share more soon. For now, I will rest and catch my breath. Heart broken and also overflowing with gratitude for the honour of being her daughter.
